An Erith man has been jailed for seven years after being caught with 35 kilos of cocaine as part of a wider drugs supply network led by a Kent dealer.
29-year-old John Nwaogbo from Erith was arrested in June 2023 at a safe house in Peacock Close in Barnet following an investigation by the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint unit of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Metropolitan Police.
Officers found a huge stash of cocaine linked to multi-kilo supplies across London.
The drugs formed part of a wider operation orchestrated by 34-year-old Joshua Bromwell, from Harrietsham in Kent.
Bromwell used encrypted communications platform EncroChat under the handle ‘acecarlito’ to arrange cocaine deliveries to south London areas including Stockwell and the Oval between March and June 2020.
Bromwell also supplied cocaine to the London Fields gang, known for their involvement in serious violence, including firearms and knives.
Bromwell later continued his criminal activity in 2023 via WhatsApp, claiming in court to be a music producer.
US border security officers discovered his WhatsApp messages after questioning him at Atlanta Airport in June 2023, showing at least 52 kilos of cocaine supplied over 15 days.
Messages also revealed Bromwell had paid £3,500 for a hidden compartment in a vehicle used to transport drugs.
Searches of his home in September 2023 uncovered designer clothes, luxury watches including two Rolexes and an Audemars Piguet, and expensive electronics, far exceeding the £18,000 annual income declared on his tax returns.
Bromwell was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs at Croydon Crown Court on January 24 following a two-week trial.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison today (November 21).
Andrew Tickner, NCA Operations Manager from the OCP, said: “In one sense Joshua Bromwell was a typical street level drug dealer, as his activity from 2020 demonstrates.
“However, this investigation showed that he was also living the life of luxury which was enabled by higher end drug dealing, all while claiming to be a music producer.
“The unique partnership between the NCA and Metropolitan Police continues to fight the serious criminality behind class A drugs supply, which fuels violence, intimidation and exploitation in our communities.
“Our efforts will never slow down and we will bring more harmful offenders like Bromwell to justice.”
